Categories: Home Run Derby

MLB’s 2022 Home Run Derby Field Is Set

The MLB regular season is nearing the unofficial halfway point, which means the All-Star break is right around the corner. With the midsummer classic comes the event we’ve been waiting for: the 2022 Home Run Derby.

It is interesting to note that the First-Year Player Draft and the Futures Game will be on different days, unlike last year. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves too much, but it’s almost as if Major League Baseball will try to appropriately market these events to fans! We’ll see, I suppose.

Here are the details we know about the Home Run Derby thus far…

When is the 2022 Home Run Derby?

It will be on Monday, July 18th at Dodger Stadium. It will be the second-to-last event of the All-Star week activities, with the midsummer classic itself obviously being the final act. As for the time of day, one can assume it will be slated for primetime television, which would be 8 pm EST/5 pm PST. ESPN will be airing the event.

What Format Can We Expect?

While there could be tweaks to how the players will participate and a champion is crowned, we’ll probably continue to see a similar style to recent years. This includes a bracket-style tournament putting sluggers against one another to decide who moves on. Each hitter will also have a certain amount of time to blast as many taters as possible before letting their opponent take a turn.

Who Will Be Participating?

The 2022 Home Run Derby bracket is officially full. Here are the eight sluggers who will be taking their talents to L.A. for the event:

Can someone finally knock Alonso off his throne, or will we be seeing a three-Pete? We’ll find out soon enough.

Although we have our eight participants, there were other players who declined an invitation. Aaron Judge, who is leading baseball in homers, gave us a “Been there, done that” response when asked why he wouldn’t be joining in on the fun. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gave a more political response, saying he didn’t want to risk flaring up the wrist injury that plagued him back in May. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was invited back after participating in 2021, but he declined to join this year.

Where Can I Learn About Home Run Derby History?

If you’re worried about this, we also have you covered! If you’re looking for a full list of results from past events, including who has won and some videos full of dingers to enjoy, you’re in luck. We’ve detailed all of MLB’s Home Run Derby winners here, as well as the best single-derby performances in Home Run Derby history. There have also been some ridiculous single-round performances in Home Run Derby history, which we’ve also covered here. Are you curious as to who has hit the most all-time hime runs in the Derby? We’ve got answers for that, too.

As we continue to creep closer toward July 18th, we’ll be adding more Home Run Derby content to the site, so be sure to check back to get fully prepared for a night that’s sure to be a blast.

Matt Musico

Matt has been writing about sports (mostly baseball) for the past decade. His work has been featured at Bleacher Report, FanSided, numberFire, The Sports Daily, MLB Trade Rumors, Elite Sports NY and more. He's a lover of all baseball -- especially home runs -- but the Mets have his heart, for better or worse. Follow him on Twitter at @mmusico8.